Kentucky State Militia

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Kentucky State Militia
LeaderStephen Anderson
Dates of operationc. 1996–2001
Active regions Kentucky, United States

The Kentucky State Militia was a militia movement organization based in the state of Kentucky, United States. The paramilitary group [1] became known for a manhunt, which ended with the seizure of various firearms and ammunition, used by the group. [2]

Crimes committed by members and ex-members

Stephen Howard Anderson, an adherent of the Christian Identity movement was previously a "major" in the Kentucky State Militia; he was expelled from the group in April 2001 after making a series of racist and antisemitic comments, with the group's "assistant commander" calling Anderson "a little too extreme for us." [3] Anderson had been known for his extremist broadcasts on a militia-themed short-wave radio show called The Militia Hour, an illegal pirate radio program. [3] [4]

In October 2001, Anderson fired gunshots at a Bell County, Kentucky deputy sheriff at a traffic stop; Anderson had been pulled over for lacking functioning taillights. At the traffic stop, Anderson claimed that he was "on patrol" with the Kentucky State Militia and was heavily armed; he fled police and fired several rifle shots before abandoning his pickup truck in Middlesboro, Kentucky, loaded with a cache of ammunition and pipe bombs. Indicted on explosive charges in federal court in Kentucky, he fled into the mountains, where he became a fugitive wanted by the FBI, ATF, and Kentucky State Police. [3] [5] [6] [7]

On November 22, 2002, Anderson was arrested by police in a rural part of Cherokee County, North Carolina. [4] [8] [9] The arrest came following a tip from a person who had seen a June 2002 segment on America's Most Wanted profiling Anderson. [10] [9] Anderson issued an apology for his actions, pleaded guilty, and was convicted of weapons charges stemming from the confrontation with police; in May 2003, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. [4]

Charles N. Puckett was commander of the group until resigning in September 2001. He was arrested in February 2002 for illegally possessing guns and other weapons (which Puckett, as a previously convicted felon, could not legally possess). Puckett fled from house arrest before turning himself in about three weeks later. He subsequently entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, in which he admitted to two weapons charges and to intimidating a witness. [11] He was sentenced to 30 months and a day in prison, followed by supervised probation. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Former militia leader sentenced on weapons charges". Wave3 News. August 29, 2002. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Kentucky State Militia". TRAC Terrorism. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Lance Williams and Bill Estep (October 16, 2001). "Ex-militia member flees into highland". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  4. 1 2 3 Hans Johnson (April 12, 2011). "America's Most Wanted Pirate Broadcaster". Radio World.
  5. ↑ Gene Baker, ed. (November 2003). "Reward for Fugitive Steve Anderson Increased". ATF Explosives Industry Newsletter. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
  6. ↑ "Police on alert for man accused of shooting at Bell County sheriff's cruiser (page 1)". Corbin Times Tribune. Newspaper Archive. October 17, 2001.
  7. ↑ "Police on alert for man accused of shooting at Bell County sheriff's cruiser (page 2)". Corbin Times Tribune. Newspaper Archive. October 17, 2001.
  8. ↑ "Kentucky Shortwave Militia Pirate Arrested In North Carolina". Diy Media. November 23, 2002. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Former militia member arrested in NC". WFMY News 2. November 22, 2002.
  10. ↑ "WANTED STEPHEN HOWARD ANDERSON". Unsolved Mysteries. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Former militia leader sentenced on weapons charges". Wave3 News. August 29, 2002. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
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